Pragya Sharma

Worldwide, there are an estimated 240,000 cases of brain and nervous system tumours per year – GBM is the most common, and the most lethal, of these tumours. The treatment a patient receives depends on the location of the tumour in the brain and their overall health and age, but the current standard of care for GBM is surgery followed by treatment with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, after which patients continue with chemotherapy alone. Biological therapies (also called targeted therapies) are a relatively new approach to GBM treatment. Unfortunately, most patients ultimately lose their life to GBM; therefore, maintaining optimal quality of life is very important to patients and their caregivers and is a significant consideration when selecting potential treatment options. This review provides an overview of glioblastoma, including its incidence, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a rare and serious genetic disease that could have harmful and deadly results. A mutation of the body's repair mechanism causes fibrous tissue (including muscle, tendon and ligamnet) to be ossified  spontaneously or when damaged. A rare idiopathic or autosomal dominant MIM 135100 condition of irregular penetration and pre-pubertal onset, in which connective/interstitial tissues undergo extensive fibrosis and heterotopic ossification of ligaments, tendons, muscle, fascia, aponeuroses and skin, first seen in late childhood as firm masses. The abnormal development of bone may lead to stiffness in affected areas and may also limit movement in affected joints, e.g., knees, wrists, shoulders, spine, and/or neck. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a disorder in which muscle tissue and connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments are gradually replaced by bone (ossified), forming bone outside the skeleton (extra-skeletal or heterotopic bone) that constrains movement. This process generally becomes noticeable in early childhood, starting with the neck and shoulders and proceeding down the body and into the limbs.

Over the years, oral dosage forms have become increasingly sophisticated with major role being played by control release drug delivery system. CRDDS release drug at a predetermined rate, as determined by drug’s pharmacokinetics and desired therapeutic concentration. This help in achieving predictable drug plasma concentration required for therapeutic effect. Gastroretentive drug delivery is an approach to prolong gastric residence time, thereby targeting site-specific drug release in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) for local or systemic effects. Gastroretentive dosage forms can remain in the gastric region for long periods and hence significantly prolong the gastric retention time (GRT) of drugs. Over the last few decades, several gastroretentive drug delivery approaches being designed and developed, including: high density (sinking) systems that is retained in the bottom of the stomach, low density (floating) systems that causes buoyancy in gastric fluid, mucooadhesive systems that causes bioadhesion to stomach mucosa , unfold able, extendible, or swellable systems which limits emptying of the dosage forms through the pyloric sphincter of stomach, superporous hydrogel systems , magnetic systems etc.